New mammoscope tool bolsters cancer screening in women with dense breasts
University at Buffalo researchers have received a new grant to develop a portable mammography system that promises to improve cancer screening in women with dense breasts.
The team calls the new tool a dual scan mammoscope (DSM), which pairs light and ultrasound technologies to better spot breast cancers. It’s backed by a four-year, $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the university announced Monday.
“The ultimate goal of this project is to address the unmet clinical need in breast cancer screening for women with high breast density,” Jun Xia, PhD, professor at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, said in a statement. “We believe it has the potential to help detect breast cancer earlier, thereby increasing survival rates.”
Conventional mammograms are highly effective, but for nearly half of all women with dense breasts, the modality’s accuracy can drop down to 62%. This new tool is similar to traditional mammography, but doesn’t use radiation and requires less breast compression, reducing patients’ pain and discomfort during exams.
As part of the project, Xia and colleagues will also create an algorithm that allows radiologists to more easily read three-dimensional images.
In the past, the team has used their tool to scan various breast sizes and is among the first to accurately use photoacoustic technology to scan 7 centimeters of tissue. Xia said the plan is to boost that number to more than 9 centimeters.
And moving forward, the Buffalo investigators will work with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and Windsong Radiology Group, both in the Buffalo, New York, region to image approximately 180 breast cancer patients and improve the DSM-generated images.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.